Zhou Jiao watched the group reluctantly bid farewell to the enthusiastic villagers and promised to come back when they had time. She was speechless. Who knows when they would come back.
As soon as they arrived at the county town, before they had time to go home, Zhang Guoqing and his group were taken to Zhao Dashan's house, ostensibly to discuss a trip to the grassland, but in fact it was another banquet.
Seeing this, Zhou Jiao quickly asked Zhang Guoqing to send the package she was carrying to the kitchen. If so many people were to eat, the Zhao family would probably starve for ten days or half a month.
The Zhao family didn't have much else, but they had a good supply of wine. By the end, a few young men had collapsed, and the meal was finally over. After sobering up, Yi Jiefang and the others kept saying they'd never drink in the Northeast again; everyone was a drunkard.
Knowing they would be leaving the next day, everyone except a few who were drunk went home to prepare their things. In particular, Zhang Guoqing and a pot were taken directly to Zhao's house.
After leaving a few people to sleep, Zhang Guoqing finally had time to take Zhou Jiao with him. The two of them carried cakes and candied fruits to visit their brothers and sisters and nearby elders.
They visited several houses in succession. In the past, they felt embarrassed to visit without gifts of four colors, but now a box of cakes and candied fruits is considered a generous gift, which saves the couple a lot of money.
Reunion always seems more affectionate, especially when Zhang Meili waited for several days to see her younger brother. She held the couple's hands tightly and had to make sure they were doing well.
She repeatedly persuaded them about every detail of life and the ways of the world, but she was only worried that the young couple would have a hard time living away from home - this elder sister never changed.
When she returned home, Zhang's mother could finally take out the things she had hidden and have some private conversations with her eldest son and others.
Zhou Jiao laughed in silence. Could she say that she had always known her mother-in-law would reduce the amount of favors? She had intentionally given more.
Lin Juhua was her grandson, and Zhang Meihao was her own daughter. Zhou Jiao was really at a loss as to how to handle this matter, but it was Old Lady Cheng who reminded her to send the entire amount to her mother-in-law and let her handle it.
"I gave half of the fabric and cotton to Juhua. I think you must have thought that she made clothes for Ping'an every year. I gave it to her, and I gave her a bag of milk powder as eggs. I put the rest away. As for your second sister, I also gave her according to the city standards. It happened to be the same as what you three brothers gave her."
Zhou Jiao nodded with a smile and pushed away the things she handed over. "Mom, put it here for now. The child will still need it after a hundred days."
Seeing that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had reached an agreement, Zhang Guoqing smiled at Zhang's father and said, "Dad, you and Mom will leave with us tomorrow. My godfather Dashan and the others will also be going this time."
Father Zhang looked at his wife. He still really wanted to go see that prairie race. If it weren't for his son, he would never have had the chance to go.
"Will it cause you any trouble? It wouldn't look good for an old woman like me to go over there. Your dad will go with you. I'll stay home and clean up."
"Mom, you're not some old woman. Let's go out together. If I call you Big Sister, someone will definitely believe me. Aunt Cheng is already there, so you'll have company."
Zhang's mother laughed out loud at her amusing behavior.
Soon the matter was confirmed. Seeing that it was getting late, Zhang Guoqing left Zhou Jiao and Zhang's mother to cook while he went to Zhao Dashan's house to look for him.
Nearing dinner time, Li Qinglin and Zhang Yuntao both came back to Zhang's house with food and dry goods, saying that they were given to Xiaowu and his wife by their parents.
Zhou Jiao didn't refuse, knowing that everyone had to bring their meal tickets when visiting other people's homes these days, and it wouldn't be nice to have to deal with them in front of outsiders. She took them directly to the kitchen, intending to return the gift before leaving.
The next morning, a truck drove out of the county town and arrived at the provincial capital to meet up with Zhao Chuangguang and his transport truck, and then drove towards the destination in a mighty manner.
This time, unlike last time, we didn't get off the bus midway. Instead, we followed Zhao Chuangguang and the others directly to the horse racing grounds. With Wan Dayong's cousin there, we were given a rest for the night.
The next day, everyone left the transport vehicle behind and went to the horse racing site under the leadership of Uncle Wan.
There was singing and dancing, horseback riding, and everyone was shouting and having fun. Unfortunately, everyone was on a tight schedule, so we had a very satisfying day and returned to our accommodation with the local specialties we had bought.
During the next two days of waiting, the elders gathered together to enjoy their leisurely days, while Zhang Guoqing and a few others went hunting with weapons. From time to time, they ran to the herdsmen's yurts with the wild animals they had hunted and had a pleasant chat with the locals while drinking kumis.
At the end of the fun, Zhao Chuangguang and his friends were about to leave, but the few people who were reluctant to leave decided to stay for a few more days. They had not yet visited the fun places they heard about from the herdsmen, and had not yet tasted many delicious foods.
It was a rare opportunity to come here, and a few people who had no shortage of money or tickets immediately asked their elders to take the wild animals back first. They would play along the way and then take the train home.
Zhao Chuangguang and his companions, eager to return home, had to leave with the transport vehicle, so they had no choice but to leave some food coupons to return on time.
As he walked, he either sent things back or gave money to passers-by. He did not leave until his pockets were empty. Then he scraped together enough food coupons to have a full meal and returned to the county town.
On this trip to the grassland, everyone got a tan, even Zhang Guoqing and his wife were tanned. This was a very meaningful journey with both joy and sadness.
What they saw and heard on this trip made these young people grow up a lot. The flowers in the greenhouse have been washed by the storm, and now they have become more stable and have gained some insights.
On the oxcart, Yi freed his hands, rested his head on the pillow, leaned against his companion, and looked up at the sky. His previous carefree attitude was gone, and he felt that he needed to reflect on his life.
Wan Dayong, who was a year older than them, had a deeper understanding. He seemed to understand the suffering of the people that his grandfather often mentioned to him.
Geng Dasheng remained silent the entire time, staring off into the distance. What was he thinking about? The barefoot, big-headed children, the ubiquitous shacks, or perhaps the strangers stumbling about?
No one pressed the issue. Some things seemed far from them, while others seemed very close. Everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts.
Sometimes, insights can have a lifelong impact, like the sudden enlightenment of martial arts. The extent of one's understanding depends on one's luck, but these are experiences that everyone experiences throughout their life.
Zhou Jiao leaned closely behind Zhang Guoqing, closed her eyes, and tried hard to forget the faces that disturbed her.
She laughed self-deprecatingly at this life that was both heaven and hell. She wondered if she might be schizophrenic. She used to comfort herself by saying life was a play, but now it was no longer like looking at a faded photograph. She seemed to have merged into it, become a flesh-and-blood stranger, unfamiliar to herself.
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